As yet it is not known if this will lead to a reduction in police officers

Police services are set for a shake-up under new plans to restructure the force across Leicestershire in a bid to meet budget demands.

As yet it is not known if this will lead to a reduction in police officers.

The existing 15 local policing units in the county are due to be replaced by eight Neighbourhood policing areas who will work exclusively on problem-solving, public engagement and working with partners.

The new plans, due to be implemented later this year, will see Hinckley and Blaby become one policing area although there are no current plans to close Hinckley station.

No job cuts have been announced yet either.

Inspector Jonny Starbuck, commander for Hinckley and Bosworth, said: “Under the restructure we will be able to deliver neighbourhood policing better.

“At the moment we have got a number of officers doing a lot of different things and that can be quite distracting. We are now looking at people doing a smaller basket of work which will allow them to be more focused on the job.”

Once Hinckley and Blaby have joined together officers will be split into two separate teams.

One will spend more time targeting offenders and solving community problems in partnership with residents while the other team will be dedicated to crime investigation.

Inspector Starbuck said: “A lot of my neighbourhood police officers are spending a lot of time in custody suites and are not spending enough time in the community.

“There is a money saving agenda here so we have got to be more efficient.”

The plans are being introduced to help work with a significantly reduced budget.

Having already made savings in excess of £20 million the force must now save a further £15.4 million by 2016/17.

Sir Clive Loader, police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire, said: “Everyone knows that times are hard in terms of public sector finances and the force must continue to operate within ever reducing budgets.

“The chief constable and I have publicly said on many occasions in the last year that we have to save money, that we will have to lose a number of officers and staff, and that to achieve this we will need to transform how policing is delivered.”